Adjustable control panel for electrical devices



May 24, 1955 w. E; WILLIAMS 2,709,060 ADJUSTABLE CONTROL PANEL FOR ELECTRICAL DEVICES Filed June 8. 1951 j Y I INVENTOR.

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United States Patent() ADJUSTABLE CONTROL PANEL FOR ELECTRICAL DEVICES William E. Williams, Van Nuys, Calif., assignor to Robert D. Newcomb, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application June 8, 1951, Serial No. 230,593

4 Claims. (Cl. 248-298) This invention relates to panels or supports for the accommodation f control elements,

In radio, television, telephone, and phonograph chassis, or the like, it is common to provide a supporting panel for the accommodation of manually operable controls, such as switches, variable resistors, condensers, or the like. At the front of the panel there are knobs attached to shafts for the operation of these control devices. Ordinarily, the panel is supported on a shelf-like member upon which other elements of the chassis, such as tubes, transformers, motors, etc., are mounted. The chassis is intended to be appropriately mounted in a space or cabinet having a decorative front portion or cover for the panel through which these shafts extend.

Since these chassis are intended to be accommodated in a variety of spaces or cabinets, having a variety of thicknesses of the decorative front panel, the shafts have been made purposely long, so that they can surely extend through the front panel. The shafts would then be cut down, or otherwise treated, to place the knobs close to the front surface of the panel.

it is one of the objects of this invention to provide a simple adjustable support for the control devices, so that the manual knobs may be placed close to the external wall of the installation.

rThis invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of one embodiment of the invention. For this purpose there is shown a form in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. The form will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, slnce the scope of this invention is best dened by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary plan View, partly in section, of an apparatus incorporating the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken along a plane corresponding to line 2-2 of Fig. l;- and Fig. 3 is a still further enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken along a plane corresponding to line 3-3 of Fi 2.

in the present instance, there is shown a sheet metal base member 1, serving as the main support for various elements of an electrical installation. For example, audions 2 and transformer 3 may be supported in the usual manner on the sheet metal shelf-like member 1. This member 1 thus comprises one of the main supports for the chassis of a radio apparatus, television apparatus, phonograph apparatus, or the like.

The base member 1 is adapted to be mounted in a cabinet having a front panel 4. This panel d may be of wood, or the like, and may have an indicating plate 5 mounted thereon.

One or more manual control knobs 6 of insulation material are indicated, cooperating with the plate 5 and ICC connected to the shafts 7 arranged in parallel relation. Each knob is shown as having an integral sleeve 20 telescoping over the corresponding shaft 7. These shafts and sleeves are shown as extending through apertures 21 in the front decorative panel 4. Each knob may be provided with a pointer 22.

The control knobs 6 are intended to manipulate control devices, such as 8, illustrated in Fig. 2. Such control devices may be off-and-On switches, variable resistors, variable condensers, or the like, which are usually utilized in such electrical installations, and which are to be manually adjusted from the front of the panel 4 by the aid of the knobs 6.

These control devices 8 are shown as mounted on a support member 9. This support member 9 may be of sheet metal, and extends downwardly and at right angles to the base member 1. It is supported on base member i by the aid of the sheet metal screws 10 which pass through slots 11 in the base member 1 and thread into the flange 12 of the support member 9.

A washer 13 may be interposed between the head of the screw 10 and the upper surface of the base member 1.

The slots 11 extend in a direction parallel to the shafts 7. Accordingly, the control manual knob 6 can be brought quite close to the exposed face of the front wall of the cabinet by appropriate adjustment of the member 9 with respect to the base 1. In this way, shafts 7 may be made long enough so that they surely extend through the wall or panel 4; and any extra length is taken up by adjusting the support member 9 rearwardly of the panel to the desired amount.

The base member 1 is shown in this instance as supported by aid of the shelf 14 (Fig. 2) which is engaged by the flange 15 formed on the downwardly extending portion 16 of the base member 1. This downwardly extending portion 16 may abut the rear surface of the panel 4.

The inventor claims:

l. In combination: a base member; a support member adjacent an edge of the base member, and extending transversely to said edge; one or more manual control devices mounted on said support member, and each having a rotary shaft extending through the support member, as well as a manually operable knob mounted on the end of the shaft; and fastening means for the support member, passing through a slot in one of the members, for adjustably mounting the support member in the direction of the shaft axes.

2. In combination: a base member; a support member adjacent an edge of the base member, and extending transversely to said edge; one or more manual control devices mounted on said support member, and each having a rotary shaft extending through the support member, as well as a manually operable knob mounted on the end of the shaft; one of said members having slots extending in a direction parallel to the shafts; and fastening means for attaching the members together, and passing through the slots.

3. In combination: a base member having a ange extending transversely to the base member at an edge thereof; a support member adjacent said edge, and spaced from said ange; one or more manual control devices mounted on said support member, and each having a rotary shaft extending through the support member, as

' well as through the said flange; and a mounting for the support member on the base member, and adjustable in the direction of the shaft axes.

4. In combination: a base member having a flange extending transversely to the base member at an edge thereof; a support member adjacent said edge, and spaced from said llange; one or more manual control devices mounted on said support member, and each having a rotary shaft extending through the support member, as well as through the said flange; and fastening means for the support member, passing through a slot in one of the members, for adjustably'mounting the support member in the direction of the shaft axes.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 819,957 Turner May 8, 1906 Cil 

